Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The first Tenant 2 Tenant of 2016 will be hitting doormats across the county this month. The Spring edition is jam packed with news and handy information for Carmarthenshire County Council tenants, including the exclusive launch of the new Tenant 2 Tenant Awards, which will take place later this year. The bilingual magazine is produced and written by council tenant volunteers, supported by the Housing Services community engagement team, time banking organisation Spice and staff from Communities First. And now for the first time, it will even be delivered by volunteers adding an extra personal touch to the publication. In return, volunteers will earn Time Credits for their efforts and will also have a healthy activity to kick-start the New Year. Tenants can look forward to reading a variety of stories, from how Ken Warnes, a tenant from Llanelli, paid for his honeymoon using Time Credits, to how Lucy Parker, of Five Roads, has hit the road as a volunteer minibus driver. There’s a fe...

The editorial group of a Carmarthenshire County Council tenants’ magazine are looking for people to be the eyes and ears of their communities. Tenant 2 Tenant is produced twice a year by a group of volunteers who want to spread good news, useful information, money savings tips and more to their friends and neighbours. Supported by officers from the council’s housing and communications teams, the tenants have complete control over the magazine, from the content to the pictures. Now, in strengthening their editorial group, they want to sign up as many ‘community correspondents’ as they can, so that the magazine covers news from all over the county. They are also looking for people to take it in turns to have specific roles in each edition, including editors responsible for news, features, events, money, health and wellbeing, children’s page and pictures. Janet Griffiths, part of the council’s Community Engagement Team, said: “Tenant 2 Tenant has been going now for over a year, and the ...

Carmarthenshire County Council housing tenants will shortly be launching a new tenants magazine - written by tenants, for tenants. You can get involved - submit articles, photographs, family announcements, children's pictures, letters, opinions and more. Be in with a chance of winning a prize for the best photo, children's drawing, letter, or top tip for saving money. A new editorial group is just getting started, but the council needs your help to make it happen. If you are a council tenant, get in touch on Facebook, through Twitter @CarmsCCPress, call 01554 742365, text 07892345678 or email  HMcintosh@carmarthenshire.gov.uk  The editorial group's first meeting is on Monday.

Housing officers in Carmarthenshire are trying to track down former tenants who may have overpaid their rent. Officers from the county council’s Housing Services team want to hear from former tenants – or their surviving relatives - whose rent accounts are in credit. The council wants to make arrangements to pay the money back. Executive Board Member for Housing, Cllr Hugh Evans, said: “Housing Services staff have carried out investigations as part of a routine exercise, as a result of which, some closed rent accounts have been found to be in credit. “We want to make every effort to return this money to those tenants or their heirs, so we appeal to anyone who thinks they are owed money to get in touch with us.” Former tenants or relatives of deceased former tenants who think they are owed money should contact Gareth Dennis by Monday, March 19. Email housing@carmarthenshire.gov.uk Gareth Dennis Tel: 01267 28969

Residents in Carmarthen flats are now recycling their rubbish. People living in Woods Row and Cambrian Court have been given a doorstep collection of blue bags and food bins for the first time. The council has already rolled out the scheme to homes across the county and is now introducing a recycling service to flats and sheltered housing complexes. These types of properties have to be looked at individually by the waste section as they all have different accessibility and space/storage issues which need to be addressed before a recycling service can be provided. Residents and tenants have welcomed the new scheme as it makes it so much easier for them to recycle their rubbish. Council Waste Minimisation/Recycling Officer Karen Fulham went along to a tenants and residents meeting to advise them on the scheme and answer any questions they had. She said: “The residents are really pleased that they can now recycle at home. It can be difficult to service flats with recycling as we o...

Council housing tenants in the Llanelli area are being invited to drop in to a new Tenant Resource Office, which has been set up in the town. Carmarthenshire County Council has set up the facility within its Hafan Y Morfa Sheltered Scheme, in Station Road. The resource office is open five days a week, from 10am to 1pm, and allows housing tenants to drop in and speak to housing and tenant participation officers, as well as tenant executive members which represent tenants and work closely with council officers. Members of tenant and resident associations can also use the office to hold small meetings and access office equipment. Tenant Debbie Pearce said: “Since the resource office has been open, far more tenants have visited us to utilise the equipment and book the meeting room. Housing services staff are available to hold surgeries with tenants on a wide range of issues. Tenants can also meet tenant executive members to share information and get guidance on local events and training co...

Carmarthenshire County Council tenants are being reminded of the importance of allowing staff to access their homes to carry out vital safety checks. The council’s Housing and Property Services teams undertake regular routine visits to each of the 9,200 homes throughout Carmarthenshire to check that appliances such as central heating boilers are regularly serviced and maintained, and that smoke detectors are fitted and working properly. There are an increasing number of occasions where operatives and approved contractors have visited properties on scheduled appointments, only to be unable to gain access. Tenants are being asked to ensure they are able to keep the appointments made for such visits, or to inform the council if they need to rearrange. Building Services manager Mark Davies said: “It is necessary on occasions, maybe once or twice a year, that our staff or approved contractors will need to gain access to tenants’ properties to undertake maintenance and service checks on appl...

Council tenants living in the Tywi, Teifi, and Taf areas of Carmarthen can tap in to a brand new resource to keep them in the know. A new website has been launched by the 3Ts tenants networks, and acts as a central point of information for tenants. It also provides a useful tool to keep up to date with home improvement programmes, enables them to give their opinions on subjects which matter to them, and gives them the opportunity to leave messages and feedback about local issues. The website – www.3tn.co.uk - was funded by a Rural Development Fund grant, and was developed by representatives of the three tenant groups. A launch event was held at Model School, Carmarthen, when the event went live for the first time. Tenant participation officer Maria Evans said: “Tenants have had a lot of input in to the development of the website, because it will be a resource which they will be able to use and benefit from. “The council works hard to make sure our tenants are well informed, and have t...

A new website to keep council tenants living in the Towy, Teifi and Taf areas of the county will be launched next week. www.3tn.co.uk will provide a one-stop-shop for the three tenant networks in these areas. It will include advice and information, as well as contacts for the council’s housing officers. Tenant networks are set up in all areas of Carmarthenshire. They allow council tenants to feed back to the authority’s housing division, as well as giving them the opportunity to shape future services. All council tenants in the 3T’s areas are being invited to the website launch at Model School, Carmarthen, on Tuesday, February 22, from 11am until 2pm, when the website will go live for the first time. The website has been funded by a Rural Development Plan grant.